THE LAST SUPPER – Eleonora Aguiari

Date posted: March 3, 2011Author: jolanta

Alberta Pane Gallery presents “The Last Supper”, artist Eleonora Aguiari’s first solo show in France. Referencing Leonardo da Vinci’s Ultima Cena, which has inspired her work for many years, the artist explores the questions of spirituality and transcendence. In this exhibition, the reference is not iconographical, but emotional. The central installation and the preliminary drawings invite the observer to free oneself from time and space, to try to understand the dynamics that defined that unique night. Eleonora Aguiari positions herself as an active witness to the connection between contemporary art and the sensible dimension of human existence, striving to enhance the possibility of interaction between the two fields. In “The Last Supper” the tension that accompanies the words of Christ “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me” is the artist’s starting point toward a path that legitimize the mystical experience linked to the art.

Alberta Pane Gallery presents “The Last Supper”, artist Eleonora Aguiari’s first solo show in France. Referencing Leonardo da Vinci’s Ultima Cena, which has inspired her work for many years, the artist explores the questions of spirituality and transcendence. In this exhibition, the reference is not iconographical, but emotional. The central installation and the preliminary drawings invite the observer to free oneself from time and space, to try to understand the dynamics that defined that unique night. Eleonora Aguiari positions herself as an active witness to the connection between contemporary art and the sensible dimension of human existence, striving to enhance the possibility of interaction between the two fields. In “The Last Supper” the tension that accompanies the words of Christ “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me” is the artist’s starting point toward a path that legitimize the mystical experience linked to the art.

Originally from Italy, Aguiari lived in London for 15 years where she studied at the Royal College of Art. A strong presence on the London art scene, she created several public installations including the wrapping in red tape of the statue of Lord Napier of Magdala (2004), which aroused an ardent interest among Londoners; and “Red Church”, a permanent silhouette sculpture installed in Bishops Square of Spitalfields Church covered in bright red paint. In 2005, she was one of the artists selected for the first BLOC show, presented by Bowieart at the Country Hall Gallery in London. The artist has lived in Paris since 2009 and showed a grand installation in the Saint-German-des-Prés Church during the Parisian event Nuit Blanche 2010.